Principal Case Officer – Antitrust and Cartel Enforcement

Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time, Flexible
Salary: £53,527 - £60,599 plus excellent benefits
Location: Canary Wharf, London, or Edinburgh

Principal Case Officers at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) come from a variety of backgrounds including lawyers, economists, and business consultants and play an important role in helping the CMA achieve its aim to make markets work well for consumers, businesses, and the economy.

The CMA is formed of several groups each working to promote competition. Antitrust and Cartels enforcement teams play a key role in achieving the CMA’s aims by uncovering and investigating hardcore cartels, anti-competitive agreements, and abuses of dominant positions. Our investigations vary greatly in subject and are generally high-profile, analytically challenging and make a positive difference to the UK economy and society.

As a Principal Case Officer, your role will vary from project to project and will depend on your relevant skills and experience.  You can expect your role to include gathering and analysis of evidence, preparing key documents, and project strategy, scoping and planning. With senior guidance and support, you will also take lead responsibility for the delivery of individual elements of the investigation and, as required, for the work and staff management of one or more Project Officers.

Our end-to-end approach to competition enforcement means that, in addition to progressing a major investigation, you may help to: develop intelligence leads (for example, by assessing a leniency application, planning an interview with an informant or meeting with a complainant); apply for a search warrant for an on-site inspection; bring proceedings to disqualify a director; or devise a media campaign to amplify the deterrence message of a successful enforcement outcome. You may also get involved in the development of cartel and antitrust policy at a national and international level and have opportunities to represent the CMA externally.

Whilst these roles are based in Antitrust and Cartels, successful candidates may sometimes be asked to work in other areas including consumer enforcement, market studies, market investigations, merger investigations, and regulatory appeals. Over time, there may be also opportunities to move to other areas on a more permanent basis.

In your application you will need to evidence experience of making effective decisions or appropriate recommendations to decision makers, using sound analysis and judgment, managing risk, and taking account of the wider context. You will also need to demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively, strong communication skills and experience of leading successful projects (or work streams within projects) delivering on time and to budget.

In return the CMA is a hugely rewarding, diverse and stimulating place to work – an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so. We offer generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years), and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme, our employee well-being programme and favourable consideration of flexible working.

To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please click on the APPLY button.

Closing date: 5 July 2021.

The CMA is an accredited Disability Confident Employer and are Stonewall Diversity Champions. As an equal opportunities’ employer, we welcome suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds and recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.